Sania Mirza mentioned on Tuesday she doesn’t see an Indian expertise rising on the high echelons of girls’s tennis within the fast future, however is hopeful that may change down the highway. The Indian tennis icon performed the ultimate match of her 20-year skilled profession earlier within the day, shedding alongside Madison Keys 6-4, 6-0 to Russian pair Liudmila Samsonova and Veronika Kudermetova on the Dubai Open. A former doubles world primary and six-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and combined doubles, 36-year-old Mirza’s trailblazing journey has impressed numerous younger individuals from her nation to take up tennis.

“Each time that we see a glimmer of hope, we see both they go to varsity, and after school they by no means type of come again to competing, or they’re simply not capable of make that subsequent soar,” Mirza instructed reporters.

“For those who’re speaking about somebody attempting to attain, not simply me as a benchmark, however greater than what I’ve, I truthfully really feel that it’ll in all probability be somebody who’s perhaps 5 – 6 years outdated at this time.”

The best-ranked Indian lady in singles in the mean time is 30-year-old Ankita Raina, who stands at 245 on the planet, and the one different participant within the top-300 is Karman Thandi at 265.

Aside from Mirza, there are simply two Indian ladies within the top-200 in doubles. “To see somebody who’s going to dominate on the highest stage, I do not know if I see that within the fast 5 to 10-year future. That is the sincere reality,” mentioned Mirza, who was accompanied by her four-year-old son Izhaan in her ultimate press convention.

Apart from specializing in her tennis academies, Mirza has additionally taken on a mentorship position for the Royal Challengers Bangalore ladies’s cricket group within the Indian Premier League.

Decided to assist the subsequent era of younger Indian women to “consider they are often champions”, Mirza sees this position as an awesome alternative to attain simply that.

“The entire idea of me being there has nothing to do with cricket. It really has to do with the psychological side of issues with these youthful women,” she mentioned.

“They’ve by no means been in positions the place they’ve had a lot cash, hundreds of thousands using on them. Lots of them have not been on TV, have not completed advertisements, shoots.

“It is really easy to get distracted from that stuff. It is also very straightforward to tense up and really feel the strain as a result of there’s a lot expectation of you.

“I’ve clearly had that for the final 20 years of my life. So I really feel that a minimum of in that psychological side I am going to be capable to share my experiences in simply having to make them really feel extra snug.

“It additionally will get me to do one thing the place I will share my expertise in attempting to make ladies’s sport higher and extra accepted, extra acknowledged for the longer term within the subcontinent.”

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